Sovtek Mig 50 vs Marshall?

[jack daniels]

Hello everyone.

I was wondering if someone could look at the Mig 50 schematics and tell me how they compare to a Marshall. ( http://www.blueguitar.org/new/schem/sovtek/mig-50.pdf )

I have a Mig 50 and a 50w non master. They sound simular, but I notice the 6L6 plays a big role in the gerth of the Mig 50. I am guessing that the Mig is sort of a JTM45 type ciruit but it looked simular to the plexi version too. I am not real knowledgeable on the schematic side of things and could use your help/opinion. How does the Mig compare to a Marshall?

Thanks in advance,

JD

[swid]

Hello everyone.

I was wondering if someone could look at the Mig 50 schematics and tell me how they compare to a Marshall. ( http://www.blueguitar.org/new/schem/sovtek/mig-50.pdf )

I have a Mig 50 and a 50w non master. They sound simular, but I notice the 6L6 plays a big role in the gerth of the Mig 50. I am guessing that the Mig is sort of a JTM45 type ciruit but it looked simular to the plexi version too. I am not real knowledgeable on the schematic side of things and could use your help/opinion. How does the Mig compare to a Marshall?

Thanks in advance,

JD

It's almost exactly a 50W Marshall, just made to bias for 6L6s. There are some value differences, but that's about it. Do you like yours? I definitely dig mine -- been meaning to put a PPIMV in it, though.

[jack daniels]

Yes. I love my Mig 50. I actually bought it first, then bought the marshall. I have only gigged either one a few times. The Mig has a huge sound...I am guessing from the 6L6's. The Marshall is a tad bit more nasilly. It also can sound huge, but the you have to be playing fairly loud before it starts to bloom. The mig blooms a little earlier in overall volume.

My thought for buying the Marshall was: If I am trying to find the Marshall tone, why not just buy a Marshall? Honestly, a Marshall is not that expensive unless you get into a JTM 45 or Plexi. But the Metal panel 1987 and 1959's are still very reasonably priced. The migs are going for close to $500 and you can still get the "real thing" for about $1000.

In the end, the tubes apear to make some difference in the overall tone and fullness of the amp. I guess I like them both.

Joe D

[swid]

My thought for buying the Marshall was: If I am trying to find the Marshall tone, why not just buy a Marshall? Honestly, a Marshall is not that expensive unless you get into a JTM 45 or Plexi. But the Metal panel 1987 and 1959's are still very reasonably priced. The migs are going for close to $500 and you can still get the "real thing" for about $1000.

I actually got my Mig for $325 -- definitely worth it at the price! I've been seeing them going for more on craigslist and ebay these days, which seems a little crazy, but if you can get one for under $400, it's a great value. I still prefer my Metro kit, but the Mig is a nice lighter alternative. Been meaning to upgrade the tubes, though.

[jack daniels]

Ha Ha...Yeah I got mine over the summer for $325 shipped to Chicago. I felt like I stole it. I used it at a few outdoor festivals with a Marshall AVT 4x12 cab this summer. It sounded great. The AVT cab and speakers are actually pretty decent. I got the cab for $160, so I felt I did good on that too. I like the AVT 4x12 cab for its smaller size. Its about 27" wide and a small box Marshall still fits on it. It sounds pretty tight with the 50 watt cellestions it came with. I just got a quad of 70's Greenbacks that I may stick in that cab.

The mig is a great amp. I sort of get a mix between a JTM45 and a Plexi tone out of it. (not exactly, but the same vibe).The biggest issue I have with it is that you can't drive the inputs to hot before it starts to oscillate. I tried feeding it with just a booster pedal, but it starts to howl. A tube screemer with the output turned down worked well thought.

I am thinking of gigging the Mig with a Marshall JMP C12 (1x12) and see how that works at small venues. I think the 50 watt Marshall is louder but at the expense of clearity.

[swid]

The mig is a great amp. I sort of get a mix between a JTM45 and a Plexi tone out of it. (not exactly, but the same vibe).The biggest issue I have with it is that you can't drive the inputs to hot before it starts to oscillate. I tried feeding it with just a booster pedal, but it starts to howl. A tube screemer with the output turned down worked well thought.

Might just be yours, or maybe you need to roll back the volume a little? I pretty much always play with either a Rangemaster or a sorta Brian May treble booster clone cranked (something like 30+ db boost, I guess).

[jack daniels]

You might be right. I'll check it out again. I do remember that if I had a booster pedal and my chorus pedal on, it would feed back (Squeel) too. I would think for sure 30db would cause it in my amp. Maybe not 15db.....?


JD

[gldtp99]

http://s46.photobucket.com/albums/f112/ ... 0mig%2050/
Here's pics of the last Mig 50 i re-did----- all new filter and bias caps (had to punch chassis for 35mm cans), screen grid resistors, and all new chassis mounted Alpha pots (removed all the bad orig Russian PCB mounted pots)--- and the new red Chicken Head knobs.
This one needed all this service due to the shape it was in--- i'd done another similar Mig 50 refurb for a friend a few yrs ago so this wasn't all that hard.
The two Mig 50's differed in some stock component values and didn't sound exactly the same---- both are good sounding JTM 45 -to- 1987 type amps that have crude but sturdy construction. Both owners were very happy with them. Pretty good amps.
I prefer my '76 Marshall 1987 NMV 50 watter, beat-up looking but sweet sounding--- i've serviced and voiced it to what i want from this kind of amp--- no Hi-gain stuff or Master Vol, just careful tone voicing and tube selection--- it sounds much better than the Mig 50's...............gldtp99

[goodtogoace]

i'm also interested in this.
i've played a half dozen of the 50 mig-h's and they seem like a cross between an 2204 and a 5150...which i don't like, the 5150 i mean. they sound over saturated to my ears and palm muting is more loose and sludgy compared to the rich and punchy marshall palm mutes.

i wanted to know if i could drop a jcm800 ptp in a sovtek and have it sound like an 800, or if the iron makes a difference too. if i changed the board, i would also change the pots i think.

but i'm mainly wondering about how much change of a quick and straight out swap of boards make in the amp...or if it would be more in depth than that.

[mlannoo]

http://s46.photobucket.com/albums/f112/ ... 0mig%2050/
Here's pics of the last Mig 50 i re-did----- all new filter and bias caps (had to punch chassis for 35mm cans), screen grid resistors, and all new chassis mounted Alpha pots (removed all the bad orig Russian PCB mounted pots)--- and the new red Chicken Head knobs.
This one needed all this service due to the shape it was in--- i'd done another similar Mig 50 refurb for a friend a few yrs ago so this wasn't all that hard.
The two Mig 50's differed in some stock component values and didn't sound exactly the same---- both are good sounding JTM 45 -to- 1987 type amps that have crude but sturdy construction. Both owners were very happy with them. Pretty good amps.
I prefer my '76 Marshall 1987 NMV 50 watter, beat-up looking but sweet sounding--- i've serviced and voiced it to what i want from this kind of amp--- no Hi-gain stuff or Master Vol, just careful tone voicing and tube selection--- it sounds much better than the Mig 50's...............gldtp99

Hello! I know this was posted some time ago but .... was wondering about the electrolytic cap cans you used on this Mig 50. The originals were single can 220uF/350v capacitors wired series. I checked out the pic you posted and it looks like you used 2 blue Sprague multi-section cap cans? What were the values and were you using only half of the cap can? I'm a bit confused by what I saw.

Also ... why did you choose to replace the screen grid resistors on the PCB and not mount them to the power tube sockets? Just curious.

How have the Alpha pots held up since you worked on this? I'm looking to do all of these things to a Mig 50 I just picked up. I was looking at PEC mil. spec pots but they are pretty pricey.

Lastly ... Have you ever converted a Mig 50 to run EL34's and if so what does that entail?

Thanks for your time.
M

[awangotango]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAz5X106zyw

early 50W sovtek. It's different than a marshall but like the old pexi's. great little amp.